CFL West Preview

West Division
1- Saskatchewan Roughriders
Predicted Record: 13-5

One has to wonder how they will react. 

After suffering one of the most devastating losses in history - blowing a huge halftime lead, only to seemingly win on the last play, but taking a stupid penalty on losing on the do-over - the Riders will either be motivated or crushed.  It's hard to imagine any middle ground. 

Unfortunately for the West, I have to believe they'll be motivated.  This is, simply, the league's best and most balanced attack.  There are precious few elite players, but absolutely zero weaknesses, with plenty of depth and consistency, and skill at every position.  It's a case of having a team full of 8s, but no 10s or 4s.  The passing game is solid and reliable, as Darian Durant has emerged into, perhaps, the next great CFL quarterback.  He isn't flashy - casual fans would be forgiven for picking him last among his divisional rivals - but delivers when it matters and doesn't make many mistakes.  His receiving corps has excellent medium (Andy Fantuz, Rob Bagg) and deep threats (Weston Dressler, Prechae Rodriguez.)  The running game is in excellent hands with Wes Cates.


The defence suffered some offseason losses, most significantly on the defensive line.  While the Riders have filled the gaps as well as possible, there's almost no way it will be as effective.  It's still a solid unit, but Saskatchewan may have to outgun a few opponents.

With their offence, though, that shouldn't be a problem. 


2- Edmonton Eskimos
Predicted Record: 11-7

Perhaps the most difficult team to get a solid read on, Edmonton has fielded similar teams for several years now: great passing game, weak or no running game, and an unreliable defence.  Ricky Ray consistently puts up great numbers moving the Eskimos across the field, but that has somehow not translated into points.  Is he overrated?  A sizable contingent in Edmonton seem to think so, advocating for solid backup Jason Maas. 

Ray's not the problem and never has been.  Under Danny Maciocia, the Esks were content with a dink-dunk passing attack, which never resulted in two-and-outs, but equally failed to deliver touchdowns; it wasn't uncommon for Ray to throw for 350 yards and team only score 20 points. 

Last season, that started to change.  The team stuck with running back Arkee Whitlock despite a truly horrifying bout of dropsies (he lost at least one game on his own), a risky but ultimately wise investment.  Whitlock single-handedly gave Edmonton another dimension on the attack, making them far more difficult to defend. 

The receiving corps is decent, especially Fred Stamps and Kelly Campbell.  Again, it suffers by comparison to the units in the West - it's almost certainly the weakest, without actually being a weakness. 

The defence is another question mark, with more than half of last year's squad replaced.  Most observers think it will take at least a year to gel, but I (sadly) liked what Maciocia did - especially Javier Glatt and Chris Thompson, from BC and Hamilton, respectively. 

Edmonton is the Winnipeg of the West.  Could be formidable.  Could be very, very bad. 

3- Calgary Stampeders
Predicted Record: 9-9

My boys!  It's tough to see how the Stamps will be as good as last year's solid (if inconsistent) team.  No one in the CFL suffered more significant losses, from 60% of the offensive line (all Canadians), the best kicker in the league, and offensive coordinator George Cortez.  Add to that a suspect pass defence and the level of competition in the west, and things actually look kinda grim.


Now then.  That's the bad news.  The good news is, this is still a very good team that should be able to compete with anybody.  The offence is blessed with weapons, from Ken-Yon Rambo and Nik Lewis at receiver, the best big-play quarterback in the league in Henry Burris, and future Hall of Fame running back Joffrey Reynolds.  If the makeshift line can make room for Reynolds and give Burris time, the Stampeders have as good an offence as anyone.  That's a big if, though.

The defence is a worry.  The Stamps have been unable to find consistent help at defensive halfback for years now, and don't look as though they've solved the problem yet.  The defensive line is wildly inconsistent; sometimes dominant, sometimes swiss cheese.  The linebackers are solid. 

Special teams - and especially the kicking game - have been a strength in Calgary for years.  They may still be, as the team thinks highly of rookie kicker Rob Maver.  But it's almost impossible he'll be as reliable or clutch as Sandro DeAngelis. 

This team is too talented to flame out, but probably doesn't have the horses (no pun intended) to win the division.


4- BC Lions
Predicted Record: 6-12

There's a lot of buzz in Vancouver this year.  Popular quarterback Casey Printers has returned from exile, and the team is playing outdoors for the first time in decades. 

Printers is a worry.  A huge success in his last stint in BC, he's reeked of failure ever since, from Kansas City to Hamilton, even to a 1-4 stretch late last season.  He's as talented as any quarterback in the league who's ever played, but seems to have trouble putting it all together.  He also has a maddening tendency to do everything himself, like a young Henry Burris. 

In the CFL, it's hard to overcome spotty quarterback play - especially in this division.  The margin of error is razor-thin.  The Lions have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball - far too much to be written off.  If Printers rekindles his magic with a full training camp under Wally Buono, this team could threaten.  But that doesn't seem to be his career arc at the moment.